Whether you are planning for overnight camping or RVing trip or have a long-distance road-trip on the horizon, you need a reliable light source for illuminating those evening sojourns and dark nights. Traditionally, you would have to look for a simple flashlight or a camping lantern for the purpose. Well not anymore!
In this article, we look at a popular, high-quality flashlight that is much more than a flashlight – the Audew PowerLite T25 Flashlight. This waterproof, rechargeable multi-function tactical gear is a flashlight, lantern, emergency strobe and power bank – all built into a single lightweight, portable unit. And no, it does not cost a fortune!
Audew is an established brand well-known for its car accessories – air pumps, compressors and LED lights. In this article, we would focus specifically on the Audew multi-function flashlight which is one of Audew’s latest products for camping and outdoors. We will share our findings on how it performed in the field test and share our recommendation for the product.
Specifications
The Audew PowerLite T25 Flashlight is a portable, waterproof, multi-functional flashlight. The key specifications of the flashlight are listed below:
- Building Material: Thermoplastic body with Photo-Chromatic (PC) tube and aluminum alloy shell. 2 magnets and a D-ring on the side with a Vinyl lanyard.
- Luminosity: 250-260 Lumens max. 3.5-watt max.
- Lighting Modes: 6 modes – Flashlight, 3 lantern light, strobe and mosquito repellent mode.
- Battery: 5200 mAh Lithium-Ion Rechargeable.
- Power Consumption: Varies; lasts up to 20 hours on flashlight mode.
- Size:45″ x 1.6″ x 1.6″.
- Weight:5 oz.(242 grams).
- Water protection – Submersible in 3 meters (10 feet) of water.
- Warranty: 90-day full-refund, 180-day replacement and 12-month defects warranty.
- Package Includes: Flashlight, a carry lanyard, a metal D-link, micro-USB charging cable and instruction manual. Wall charger not included.
Detail Review
We decided to put the Audew PowerLite T25 through the rigors of daily use and an outdoor trip and see how it performs in comparison to the standard LED Lanterns and flashlights in the same price range. In our view, the Audew PowerLite holds up pretty well to the competition.
The Audew PowerLite flashlight came nicely packed in the standard Amazon packing which had the flashlight cardboard box. The flashlight box contained the flashlight, a short USB-to-microUSB charging cable, a metallic D-ring and a vinyl carrying lanyard. An instruction manual is also included with the package. The flashlight box has some useful instructions on how to charge and change the modes, so you may want to keep the box for future. Moreover, we advise to fully charge the flashlight once before checking it out.
Now let us look at the construction quality, features and performance of the flashlight in more detail.
Construction
The Audew PowerLite has an excellent lightweight yet durable air-tight construction. The flashlight features a high-quality thermoplastic body (orange color) with a multi-dimensional Photo Chromatic (PC) tube with the lantern LEDs. The major benefit of having a PC tube is that it produces a brighter, more uniform light.
The flashlight has an air-tight aluminum alloy shell with a rubber gasket on the side. There are also silica gel rings on the sides as decoration. The charging port and the power bank outlet are securely placed in one of the side caps, which also has a metallic D-ring to attach the nylon/vinyl lanyard to hang the flashlight as a lantern. The metallic ring on the side is threaded and can probably act as a glass-breaker in emergencies.
The side-cap is fully air-tight and keeps the internal circuits secure even during submersion in water. The flashlight has a soft Silicone button to switch on the light and change the lighting modes. It also has a strong neodymium magnet securely placed on each side to allow the flashlight to be attached to a metallic surface such as the car hood or toolbox.
The PowerLite features a rechargeable 5200 mAh (5V/2A) Lithium-Ion battery (two 2600 mAh cells attached in parallel), which has been tested to work for over 50K hours. The flashlight is about 9.5-inches long and 1.6″ x 1.6″ wide, making it slightly bigger to fit in the pocket, but is still small enough to fit in a toolbox or backpack. The flashlight weighs around 8.5 oz. which is pretty light for all the features it includes.
Overall the Audew PowerLite has a reliable, high-quality body to support its decent performance.
Features and Performance
The PowerLite is a feature-rich multi-function flashlight that does much more than its primary features.
Looking at its major features, the PowerLite has 6 lighting modes – 1 standard flashlight mode, 3 lantern lighting modes (soft, medium and strong), 1 emergency SOS strobe mode and 1 mosquito “repellent” mode. The LEDs which produce these different lighting modes are evenly arranged in the PC tube. There is a soft Silicone switch button on the side to change the operation modes. A long press turns the flashlight off.
The normal lighting modes of flashlight and lantern produce a luminosity of anywhere between 120-280 lumens. The SOS strobe mode allows the light to switch between red and blue to draw attention. The mosquito mode is tailored to produce an orange-ish yellow light which is considered as something mosquitoes do not get attracted to (though we do not think it is extremely effective, but is still a feature).
The PowerLite has high-quality magnets on each side which provide the required adsorption to hold the flashlight on iron-based metallic surfaces such as the car hood or tool-box. And if you would like to hang the flashlight in your tent, a pole or along a tree, you can use the metallic ring with the over-sized Nylon/Vinyl lanyard that comes with the flashlight.
The PowerLite has a 5200 mAh Li-Ion battery (two 2600 mAh batteries connected together) that can be recharged using the micro-USB charging cable. It does not come with a wall charger, so you would have to use any standard USB wall charger if you want to charge it the traditional way.
The battery can also be used as an emergency power bank. The battery can charge a smartphone 1-2 times and may not be super-efficient, but is still very useful on road-trips and wilderness. In fact, this was one of the most useful additional features of this flashlight.
The maximum battery life under different lighting modes is summarized below:
| Power Mode | Maximum Battery Life |
| Flashlight Mode | 20 hours |
| Lantern Mode – Soft | 30 hours |
| Lantern Mode – Medium | 20 hours |
| Lantern Mode – Strong | 10-12 hours |
| SOS Strobe Mode | 30 hours |
| Mosquito Mode | 25 hours |
When it comes to actual on-field performance, we found the flashlight working exactly as advertised. In flashlight mode, the PowerLite produced a bright, focused light which looked equally bright as a 150-200 lumen flashlight.
The performance in the different lantern modes was also excellent. The Soft mode seemed bright enough for scribbling something on a notepad or read a book while the Medium and Strong modes were bright enough to illuminate the campsite. The square-ish tube-like shape means that the flashlight does not provide a 360-degree light of a standard camping lantern, but that should not be a major issue.
The SOS strobe light also worked quite well. It produced a uniform red-and-blue illumination that is good enough to draw attention from a distance.
The mosquito repellent mode was an interesting feature to check out. The flashlight produced a yellow-orange light, which is considered unfavorable for mosquitoes. There is no chemical or UV light released and hence it may not be the most effective in keeping all the flying insects away, but it is still a feature!
When it comes to weather protection, the Audew PowerLite flashlight is rated at IP68 which means that is totally waterproof and can even survive submersion in up to 3 meters (10 feet) of water. We did not try this ourselves, but other reviews have found the flashlight working normally after submersion. This is a major positive over the traditional camping lanterns, which are water-resistant at best.
To summarize, the major positives and negatives of the Audew multi-function flashlight that we observed are listed below:
- Lightweight, multi-function LED flashlight with high-quality construction.
- Multi-dimensional PC tube with flashlight supports 6 lighting modes.
- Waterproof with an IP68 rating that allows working even while submerged.
- 5200 mAh Li-Ion rechargeable battery can last from 10-30 hours. Can also be used as a power bank.
- Comes with magnets and carry lanyard for hands-free operation.
- Backed by a 90-day full refund and 12-month defects warranty.
- Competitively priced under $25.
- At 9.5-inches long and 8.5 oz. larger and heavier than standard flashlights.
- Does not provide a 360-degree illumination of a camping lantern.
The Verdict
We found the Audew PowerLite flashlight and excellent multi-purpose, value-for-money buy for people who are looking for a reliable light source for outdoor trips, car toolboxes and emergency situations.
With a 12-month warranty, all-weather protection, rechargeable operation, a long running life and an all-inclusive cost of less than 25 bucks per flashlight, it is a perfect choice to brighten your campsite or tent. It is also an excellent item to add to your bug-out bag or car kit. In summary, you can put the Audew PowerLite to the following uses:
- As a multi-dimensional tent or campsite lantern.
- As a reading light.
- As a bright flashlight in the dark.
- As an emergency signaling strobe.
- As an emergency power bank.
- As a car-trunk or hood light.
- As a household repair light source.
Just to add, if you are just looking for a inspection-type light source and do not mind the extra weight, then you can check out the newly re-designed Audew Hanging Work Light, which comes with 37 super bright LEDs, a belt clip and a magnetic holder.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we reviewed another quality yet affordable product by Audew – the Audew PowerLite T25 multi-function flashlight. If you are looking for a portable, compact and all-weather light source that can provide illumination for an extended period, you can consider getting one for your next camping or RV trip. You would also find this flashlight suitable for your car maintenance kit and emergencies.
Like other high-quality Audew products, the Audew PowerLite flashlight boasts of a superior quality and performance and is backed by a 90-day refund, 180-day replacement and 12-month hassle-free warranty.
For any more questions or comments, feel free to share them through the comments section below and we would be happy to answer them.
Image credits:Amazon.com